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Hi there! My name is Jody! I am a wife, mama, and own the Fabric Shoppe! I love to find BEAUTY in EVERYDAY life! I hope to inspire you here with fabrics, tutorials, recipes, and crafty inspiration! Stop back often and enjoy!

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Tutorial: Easy Blanket with Patty Young Knit Fabrics

Here is a great beginner project for those of you drooling over all the new knit/jersey options out right now. No need to be scared! Jump right in, all you need is 2 yards (or just 1 yard if you don't want two prints) and some ball point needles for your sewing machine! This is a super easy project and what a great gift for new baby, or a snuggle blanket for a little toddler.

*I made a 'reversible' blanket with a different pattern on each side. However, you only need 1 yard to make the blanket if you don't care about having a different pattern. Two 1 yard cuts will yield 2 blankets. That's it ...easy peasy so far, right?

Now, go pre-wash your fabric. I *almost* skipped this step. After all I was on a roll taking pictures and thought, eh ...how much can it really shrink. Good thing I pre-washed because knits shrink quite a bit. While my fabric was washing, I grabbed one of my favorite blankets from when my son was a baby. This was my favorite 'swaddle' blanket. This was the days before the fancy swaddle contraptions now available. I used it for a general measurement and found it to be 29"x32".

Back to the fabric ...

Once your fabric is washed and dried, take one yard and cut it into 2 pieces approx. 29"x 32." Cutting knits is a little tricky. I found it easiest to cut the polka dot knit as I could use the polka dot to keep my line straight. Just do your best being patient to line up your edges and smooth everything flat before cutting.

I then took my nicely cut 29"x32" piece and laid it right sides together (RST) on top of the coordinating 'reversible' fabric. I smoothed and straightened and then pinned the two pieces together. Just like using a special needle, you should also use ball point pins meant to be used with knits. I then used my nicely cut piece as a 'pattern' to cut my other piece.

*If you're only using one yard of fabric, you would just lay your two 29"x32" pieces RST and pin.

Once your two pieces are pinned RST, find a round object to use as a corner curve template. I used the lid to my button jar and traced around it creating a soft curve which will add a bit more interest to the blanket and forgiveness when you sew those corners. It's a win-win.

Alright, let's finally sew. Seriously, the hardest part is over!

Starting about 3 inches in from one of your corners, start sewing. I used a 3/8" seam allowance, increased my stitch length to about 2.8 (I would normally sew quilting cotton at a 2.2) and decreased my tension from about 6 to 5 (this number will vary from machine to machine. I just recommend slightly lowering your tension. If you're unsure, use a scrap for a test piece. Stitch a few inches, remove and give it a slight tug to see if you're stitches are going to stay put or if your thread snaps. If it snaps, you'll want to increase your stitch length and continue to play with your tension.

Stitch around the entire blanket, following the curve lines you drew for the corners. Stop about 2-3" from where you started, back stitch and trim your threads.

Trim your corners using pinking shears or trimming to 1/4 inch and then snipping your curve (be careful not to snip into your stitches).

Using opening, turn your blanket right sides out. Use your fingers to press the corners out from the inside.

Carefully press the seam around the entire blanket. TAKE YOUR TIME here. This will make the difference between a 'homemade' blanket and a 'handmade' blanket. You'll have to kind of wiggle/push the seam to make sure there isn't fabric tucked in between.

Press and pin your opening closed. Continue to pin around the rest of the blanket to help hold your layers in place as you finish with a top stitch.

Top stitch about 1/4" from the edge, starting with your opening. I would set your stitch length even longer this time (I did a 3.2 stitch) and keep your tension about the same before. Your blanket will probably have a bit of a 'lettuce/rippled' effect going around the edge. Give it a good press and you should see most of this go away.

Fold it up cute, sit back and admire your work!!

BONUS RUFFLE FLOWER TUTORIAL!!

For extra credit, you can add a little embellishment to put the sprinkles on this already cute little cupcake :).

I cut a 3"x width of the fabric piece of coordinating solid knit to create a ruffled flower in one corner. I ironed the strip of fabric, wrong side together. Starting with the middle of the flower, I folded the end in a few times and then started stitching the fabric down. Make sure your upper thread matches the flower knit and then bobbin thread matches the print on the underside of the blanket. I just kept pushing fabric under the foot and going in a circle to get a flowered effect. I made a fold, pushed fabric and stitched until I was all out of fabric.